In general, a vacuum cleaner is an appliance for cleaning by suctioning dust or dirt from a surface using suction force generated by a vacuum motor while moving a suction brush along the surface. Such a vacuum cleaner is somewhat efficient in removing dust scattered on a surfaced to be cleaned. However, such a vacuum cleaner has a disadvantage in that it is inefficient in removing stains or foreign matter matted to the surface to be cleaned. That inconveniences the user who must first remove dust accumulated on the floor using a cleaner, and then directly wipe the surface using a floorcloth to remove the foreign matter or stain remaining on the surface.
In order to solve this problem, a conventional suction brush of a vacuum cleaner disclosed in Korean Utility Model Registration No. 370525 comprises a floorcloth rotation arrangement for rotating a wet floorcloth within the suction brush, so that the removal of dust and wiping can be concurrently performed. The floorcloth rotation arrangement comprises an impeller which is rotated as ambient air is suctioned, plural spur gears for transferring the rotational movement of the impeller to the opposite lateral sides of the bottom side of the suction brush, and a floorcloth plate member for rotating the wet floorcloth using the rotational force transferred through the plural spur gears.
That conventional suction brush with the floorcloth rotation arrangement has a suction port for suctioning air so as to drive the impeller, in which the suction port is formed through the bottom side of the suction brush which is opposite to the surface to be cleaned, whereby if air is suctioned through the suction port when the impeller is driven, dust scattered on the surface to be cleaned as well as ambient air are introduced into the suction port and transferred to the impeller.
Therefore, dust accumulates between the impeller and its driving shaft for driving the impeller, as well as on the impeller, and thus inhibiting smooth operation of the impeller, thereby limiting the number of revolutions of the wet floorcloth and reducing the wiping effect.
In addition, because the impeller has a cone shape, the height of which increases as it approaches the center of the impeller due to the characteristics of the impeller, and the plural spur gears are used so as to transfer power, it is difficult to configure the suction brush in a compact form.
In addition, because the plural spur gears are employed, it is necessary to provide a bearing for each gear, thereby increasing and the number of components manufacturing costs. Furthermore, the spur gears, generate loud noise when the gears are driven.
Commonly owned Korean Patent Publication No. 2003-93625, discloses a floorcloth attached suction brush for a vacuum cleaner. The suction brush has a floorcloth rotation arrangement for rotating a floorcloth, in which the suction brush comprises a turbine which is driven by the suction force of the suction brush, so that the floorcloth rotates through worm wheels and gears connected to the opposite sides of the turbine, respectively.
However, this suction brush has a problem in that if hair or the like is caught in the turbine shaft or the like, the turbine stops, and thus the rotation of the floorcloth is stopped, whereby the wiping function cannot be used.